Method and system for automated debriefing of service activity

ABSTRACT

A system and method for facilitating the production of a service report of a service performed on a medical device by a service provider is provided. The service report contains medical device data related to the service performed on the medical device. The system may comprise a computing system operable to store and process data from a medical device. The system may also comprise a medical device operable to automatically transmit medical device data to the computer system. The system may also comprise a remote device operable to automatically transmit service provider data to the computer system. The method comprises operating the computer system to receive medical device data transmitted automatically by the medical system to the computer system. The method also comprises operating the computer system to receive service provider data transmitted automatically by a remote device to the computer system via the communications network. In addition, the method comprises operating the computer system to generate the service report based on the medical device data and the service provider data received from the medical device and the remote device.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates generally to field of equipment servicesand documentation of records associated with the equipment servicing.More particularly, the invention relates to techniques for facilitatingthe servicing of medical systems and the documentation of informationrelated to the servicing of the medical systems.

There are many different electronic devices available for learning aboutand treating patient conditions in the medical field. Over recentdecades, more sophisticated systems have been developed that includevarious types of electrical data acquisition which detect and record theoperation of systems of the body and, to some extent, the response ofsuch systems to situations and stimuli. Even more sophisticated systemshave been developed that provide images of the body, including internalfeatures which could only be viewed and analyzed through surgicalintervention before their development, and which permit viewing andanalysis of other features and functions which could not have been seenin any other manner. All of these techniques have added to the vastarray of resources available to physicians, and have greatly improvedthe quality of medical care.

However, many medical systems, such as medical imaging systems, arecomplex machines. As a result, they may require periodic servicing froma service provider. Typically, a service report, or some otherdocumentation, is made to establish a record of the services that wereperformed on the medical system. A service report may contain many typesof information related to the service. Typically, a service providerinputs this information into the service report manually. However, thismay be time-consuming or lead to inconsistencies in the quality ofreports from one service provider to another. Therefore, a need existsfor a technique to reduce the time required to produce a service reportand/or to improve the consistency in the quality of the service reportscreated.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

A system and method for facilitating the production of a service reportof a service performed on a medical device by a service provider isprovided. The service report contains medical device data related to theservice performed on the medical device. The system may comprise acomputing system operable to store and process data from a medicaldevice. The system may also comprise a medical device operable toautomatically transmit medical device data to the computer system. Thesystem may also comprise a remote device operable to automaticallytransmit service provider data to the computer system. The methodcomprises operating the computer system to receive medical device datatransmitted automatically by the medical system to the computer system.The method also comprises operating the computer system to receiveservice provider data transmitted automatically by a remote device tothe computer system via the communications network. In addition, themethod comprises operating the computer system to generate the servicereport based on the medical device data and the service provider datareceived from the medical device and the remote device.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The foregoing and other advantages and features of the invention willbecome apparent upon reading the following detailed description and uponreference to the drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a general diagrammatical representation of a medicalinformation system, in accordance with an exemplary embodiment of thepresent invention;

FIG. 2 is block diagram of a process for facilitating the preparation ofa service report for service performed on a medical device using datacollected automatically from the medical device and a remote device, inaccordance with an exemplary embodiment of the present invention; and

FIG. 3 is a representation of an electronic version of a service reportgenerated in accordance with the process illustrated in FIG. 2, inaccordance with an exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF SPECIFIC EMBODIMENTS

Referring generally to FIG. 1, a medical information system 20 isillustrated. In the illustrated embodiment, the medical informationsystem 20 comprises a medical imaging system 22, such as a magneticresonance (“MR”) imaging system, a computed tomography (“CT”) imagingsystem, or a positron emission tomography (“PET”) imaging system.However, the present techniques are applicable to other types of medicaldevices. The medical imaging system 22 is operable to produce anelectronic image of a test subject. In addition, the medical imagingsystem 22 is connected by a computer 24 to a network 26, such as theInternet. Periodically, a service may need to be performed on themedical imaging system 22 by a service provider. For example, theservices of a service provider may be retained to improve the imagesproduced by the medical imaging system 22. Furthermore, a serviceprovider may be retained to repair or replace a defective component ofthe medical imaging system 22. A service provider may also be used toupgrade old software or load new software into the medical imagingsystem 22.

The medical information system 20 also comprises a service center 28.The service center 28 enables a service provider to diagnose or repairproblems associated with the medical imaging system 22. The servicecenter 28 is coupled to the medical imaging system 22 via the network26. The network 26 enables data to be transmitted from the medicalimaging system 22 to the service center 28. For example, medical imagestaken by the medical imaging system 22 may be transmitted via thenetwork to the service center 28 for analysis by a service provider. Inaddition, the medical imaging system 22 automatically transmits servicedata to the service center 28. In the illustrated embodiment, themedical imaging system 22 is self-aware, i.e., the medical imagingsystem 22 inventories its software and hardware and automaticallytransmits service data representative of the change made to the softwareor hardware to the service center 28 when a change is made to thesoftware or hardware. In this regard, the medical imaging system 22 issimilar to a personal computer that has plug-and-play capability.

In the illustrated embodiment, a remote device 30 is provided to enablea service provider to communicate with the medical imaging system 22 andthe service center 28. The remote device 30 may be a desktop computer, anotebook computer, a personal digital assistant (“PDA”), or some othercommunications device. In addition, the remote device 30 providesservice provider data automatically to the service center 28. Forexample, the remote device 30 may be used to initiate and track servicetime. In addition, in the illustrated embodiment, the remote device 30provides Global Positioning System (“GPS”) data continuously to theon-line service system 28 to enable the service center 28 track anddocument the movements of the service provider.

The service center 28 is a processor-based system that is operable tostore and to process the service data from the medical imaging system 22and the service provider data from the remote device 30. In theillustrated embodiment, the service center 28 automatically receives theservice data from the medical imaging system 22 and the service providerdata from the remote device 30 and uses the data to generate a servicereport. The service center 28 also transmits the service report to theservice provider via the network, or some other communication network.

In the illustrated embodiment, the service center 28 begins collectingdata for a specific service activity when the service center 28 receivesa request for service. The collection of data related to the specificservice activity ends when the service provider indicates to the on-linecenter 28 that the service has been performed. The service reportcomprises information describing the service performed and the serviceprovider performing the service. For example, the service informationmay include the serial number of the medical imaging system and theservice performed on the medical imaging system. The service providerdata may include the time that it took the service provider to performthe service, billing information for the service provider, variousexpenses related to the service, and other pertinent pieces of data,such as the location of the service provider when the service wasperformed.

In the illustrated embodiment, the service center 28 comprises anapplication server system 32 and a data base server system 34 thatcontains various types of medical imaging system data for a plurality ofdifferent modalities of medical imaging systems. The application serversystem 32 is operable to process data from the medical imaging system22, the remote device 30, and the data base server system 34. Theapplication server system 32 comprises firewalls 36 and hubs 38. Inaddition, the application server system 32 comprises a plurality of loadbalancers 40 and web servers 42. The load balancers 40 balance the dataloads to and from the web servers 42. The web servers 42 store andexecute the software applications that enable the application serversystem 32 to process the data.

The database server system 34 comprises a parts database 44 and aservice description database 46. The parts database 44 is coupled by aserver 48 to a hub 38. In addition, the service description database 46is coupled by a server 50 to the hub 38. The hub 38, in turn, is coupledto the application server system 32.

The parts database 44 maintains a history of parts used in the medicalimaging system 22. As noted above, the medical imaging system 22inventories its software and hardware. When a change is made to theinventory of the medical imaging system 22, the service data reflectingthe change in the inventory is provided automatically from the medicalimaging system 22 and coupled through the application server system 32to the database server system 34. The database server system 34 updatesthe parts database 44 to reflect the change in the inventory. Inaddition, the parts database 44 is updated whenever a part is ordered,shipped, tracked, and delivered. Data from the parts database 44 is usedto generate the service report. The collection of the data for use ingenerating the service report begins when the service center 28 receivesa request for service and ends when the service provider indicates tothe on-line center 28 that the service has been performed.

The service description database 46 maintains a history of the servicesperformed on the medical imaging system 22. In addition, the servicedescription database 46 contains service provider data provided by theremote device 30. However, service data may be provided to the servicedescription database 46 from devices other than the remote device 30.Data from the parts database 44 is used to generate the service report.The collection of the data for use in generating the service reportbegins when the service center 28 receives a request for service andends when the service provider indicates to the on-line center 28 thatthe service has been performed.

Referring generally to FIG. 2, a method of servicing the medical imagingsystem 22 and documenting the service is illustrated. The method isrepresented generally by reference numeral 52. In the illustratedembodiment, the method begins with a service provider, such as a fieldengineer or an on-line engineer, receiving a request for service on themedical imaging system 22, represented generally by block 54. Theservice provider then begins performing the service on the medicalimaging system 22.

The receipt of the request for service begins the collecting of data foruse in generating the service report. The medical imaging system 22automatically sends service data to the service center 28 for storage inthe parts database 44, represented generally by block 58. As notedabove, the service data includes any change in the inventory of themedical imaging system 22 hardware or software. In addition, the remotedevice automatically provides service provider data to the servicecenter for storage in the service description database 46, representedgenerally by block 60. The service provider data may be the start timefor performing the service, the end time for performing the service, thelocation of the service provider, and other service related data.

On direction of the service provider, the service center 28 creates aservice report based on the service data received from the medicalimaging system 22 and the service provider data received from the remotedevice 30, as represented generally by block 62. The service report isstored electronically in the service center for transmittal to acustomer or service provider. In the illustrated embodiment, the servicecenter 28 sends a copy of the service report to the service provider forreview, as represented by block 64. The service center 28 also enablesthe service provider to revise/edit the service report.

Referring generally to FIG. 3, an embodiment of a service report 64generated by the service center 28 is illustrated. As noted above, theservice report 64 may be transmitted to the remote device 30 via thenetwork 26. The service report 64 may be e-mailed or accessed by theservice provider over the network 26. The service provider may reviewand revise the service report with a computer, a digital assistant, orsome other form of communication device. In addition, the service reportmay be edited.

The service report 64 provides the service provider with data receivedwith the request for service and the service data and service providerdata received automatically from the medical imaging system 22 and theremote device 30, respectively, and stored in the database server system24. The illustrated service report 64 has a first portion 66 thatcontains information related to the request for service provided toinitiate the service activity to be performed. In the illustratedembodiment, the first portion 66 discloses the room number of themedical device to be serviced, the customer name, the identificationnumber of the medical imaging system, the request for service number,and the field engineer/service provider's name. The illustrated servicereport 64 also discloses the site name of the medical imaging system 22.The site name is established by comparing the GPS data provided by theremote device 30 with location data stored in the database server system24.

The service report 64 has a second portion 68 that contains informationrelated to the service performed on the medical imaging system 22. Forexample, in the illustrated embodiment, the second portion 68 comprisesthe class of the service performed, the field modification instructioncode, the model number of the medical imaging system 22, the serialnumber of a part replaced during the service, the version of softwareupgraded or downloaded, and the total charge for the service performedon the medical imaging system.

The illustrated service report 68 also has a third portion 70 thatcontains trip information for the service provider. For example, in theillustrated embodiment, the third portion 70 contains the service startdate, the service start time, the service end time, the equipment statusupon completion of the service, travel expenses associated with theservice, trip travel hours, standard labor hours, and overtime laborhours. The remote device 30 is used to mark the various time intervals.This information is used to establish the charge for the service. Theillustrated service report 64 also has a virtual button 72 that sends acopy of the service report 64 to the online service center, or anotherlocation, when activated. The service report 64 also has a virtualbutton 74 that displays the service report in a print-friendly form.

By automatically storing and processing service data from the medicalimaging system 22 and service provider data from the remote device 30,the system and method described above reduces the time required toproduce a service report. In addition, by automatically inputting thedata into the service report, the service report will be more consistentand the quality of the service report will improve.

While the invention may be susceptible to various modifications andalternative forms, specific embodiments have been shown by way ofexample in the drawings and have been described in detail herein.However, it should be understood that the invention is not intended tobe limited to the particular forms disclosed. Rather, the invention isto cover all modifications, equivalents, and alternatives falling withinthe spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the followingappended claims.

1. A method for producing a service report for a service performed on amedical device by a service provider, comprising: operating a computersystem to receive medical device data transmitted automatically to thecomputer system via a communications network; operating the computersystem to receive service provider data transmitted automatically to thecomputer system via the communications network, and operating thecomputer system to generate the service report based on the medicaldevice data and the service provider data.
 2. The method as recited inclaim 1, wherein the service provider data comprises GPS location datafrom a remote device transported by the service provider.
 3. The methodas recited in claim 1, wherein the service provider data comprisestimekeeping data for the service provider.
 4. The method as recited inclaim 1, wherein the medical device is operable to detect an alterationof at least one of medical device hardware and medical device softwareand the medical device data transmitted automatically by the medicaldevice is representative of the alteration to the medical device.
 5. Themethod as recited in claim 1, comprising operating the computer systemto transmit the service report to a remote device for review by aservice provider.
 6. A method for facilitating the preparation of aservice report for a medical device; comprising: providing service dataautomatically from the medical device to a computer system via acommunications network; providing service provider data automatically tothe computer system via a communications network; and generating aservice report based on the service data and the service provider dataautomatically using the computer system.
 7. The method as recited inclaim 6, wherein the service report comprises a listing of servicesperformed by the service provider based on the service provider data. 8.The method as recited in claim 6, wherein the service report comprises alisting of parts replaced by the service provider based on the servicedata.
 9. The method as recited in claim 6, wherein the service providerdata comprises GPS location data for the service provider and theservice report comprises the GPS location data.
 10. The method asrecited in claim 6, wherein the service report comprises service timedata for the service provider.
 11. The method as recited in claim 6,comprising transmitting the service report from the computer system to aremote device to enable a user to revise the service report.
 12. Amedical information system, comprising: a medical device comprisinghardware and software, the medical device being operable to communicatewith a remote computer via a communication system, wherein the medicaldevice is operable to detect a change in each of the hardware and thesoftware and to automatically transmit a signal representative of thechange to the remote computer.
 13. The medical information system asrecited in claim 12, wherein the medical device is a medical imagingsystem.
 14. The medical information system as recited in claims 12,wherein the communication system comprises the network.
 15. A computerprogram, comprising: programming instructions stored in a tangiblemedium, wherein the programming instructions enable a processor-baseddevice to produce a service report for a medical device based on medicaldevice data received automatically from the medical device and serviceprovider data received automatically from a remote device.
 16. Theprogram as recited in claim 15, wherein the programming instructionsenable the processor-based device to produce a service report containingdata representative of at least one of a hardware and a software changeto the medical device.
 17. The program as recited in claim 15, whereinthe programming instructions enable the processor-based device toproduce a service report containing GPS data for the remote device. 18.The program as recited in claim 1, wherein the remote device is operableto track time used by a service provider to perform a service on themedical device and the service data comprises an indication of the timeused by a service provider to perform a service on the medical deviceand the service data.
 19. The system as recited in claim 2, wherein thesystem enables a user to use the remote device to revise the servicereport and to transmit the revised service report to the computer systemvia the network.